Electronic viscometer

• US 5,710,374 A
• Filed: 06/25/1996
• Issued: 01/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Inventors: Kauzlarich, James J., Ross, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Politzer, Jay L.
• Application Number:
  US08/669,949
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 73/54.24, 73/54.25, 73/54.26, 73/54.27, 73/54.28, 73/54.23, 73/54.39, 73/54.41
• US Class Current: 73/54.24
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 11/16 by measuring damping effect upon oscillatory body

Abstract

An electronic viscometer having a vibrating drive in a hollow probe which oscillates along its longitudinal axis and is damped by a sample into which the probe is inserted. The viscometer has a piezoelectric crystal having a feedback electrode, a phase locked loop circuit to track the resonant frequency, drive amplifiers and buffers, and a phase compensation network to ensure that the proper phase relationship is maintained between piezoelectric drive and feedback signals.

Claims

1. An electronic viscometer, comprising:

a piezoelectric crystal attached to a first side of a metal plate;

a hollow circular tube having a first end attached to a second side of said plate, said tube having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to said second side;

said piezoelectric crystal being driven by a piezoelectric drive means having a feedback electrode for providing a feedback signal, wherein said piezoelectric drive means includes a phase compensation network receiving a feedback signal from said feedback electrode and providing a compensated feedback signal to a phase locked loop and wherein said phase locked loop provides a piezoelectric drive signal having the same frequency as a frequency of said phase compensated feedback signal and wherein said piezoelectric crystal receives said piezoelectric drive signal as an input signal and outputs an exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion at resonance to said tube, said tube having at least a second end which has a sufficiently thin wall to maximize shear forces produced by said exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion when said second end is inserted in a liquid whose viscosity is to be measured and wherein said tube has an aspect ratio chosen so that said tube provides said exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion when said piezoelectric drive signal is an oscillating constant root means square value driving voltage.

2. The viscometer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive means further includes an amplifier means for amplifying said piezoelectric drive signal and wherein said piezoelectric drive signal is a square wave.

3. The viscometer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said aspect ratio is between 1.5 and 15.

4. The viscometer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tube includes an air vent which allows for the escape of trapped air when said one end of said tube is inserted into said fluid.

5. The viscometer according to claim 1, wherein said tube oscillates at a frequency of from 500 to 3000 Hz.

6. The viscometer according to claim 1, wherein said frequency is between 1 and 2 KHz.

7. The viscometer according to claim 1, further including temperature measurement means for providing said piezoelectric crystal at substantially the same temperature as said fluid whose viscosity is being measured.

8. An electronic viscometer, comprising:

a piezoelectric crystal attached to a first side of a metal plate;

a hollow circular tube having a first end attached to a second side of said plate, said tube having a longitudinal axis perpendicular to said second side;

said piezoelectric crystal being driven at a first frequency and outputing an exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion at resonance to said tube, said tube having at least a second end which has a sufficiently thin wall to maximize shear forces produced by said exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion when said second end is inserted in a liquid whose viscosity is to be measured and wherein said tube has an aspect ratio chosen so that said tube provides said exclusive longitudinal vibratory motion when said piezoelectric drive signal at said first frequency is an oscillating constant root means square value of driving voltage;

said tube and plate system having at least a first and a second mode of vibration wherein said first mode of vibration is a lateral vibration mode of said tube due to a sinusoidal deflection of said plate and wherein said second mode of vibration is a lateral vibration of the tube as a cantilever beam having a first natural frequency of transverse or bending vibration and wherein said first vibration mode and second vibration mode each have a frequency less than said first frequency.